Us Against the World
by Bloodrayne666
Summary: Shadow The Hedgehog, Rouge The Bat, and E-123 Omega are branded traitors of the world. Friends, once their trusted allies have now become their sworn enemies, civilians who once loved and cherished them now hate and fear them, and the planet they protected has turned against them. With seemingly the entire world against them, will Team Dark discover the shocking truth? CHAP 6 UP!
1. Chapter 1

**Us Against The World**

_**Note from **__**Rirureddo**_

_**"This is my first attempt at doing a collaboration story and I can honestly say I'm really happy to have my first one be with one of my best friends Bloodrayne666. This means a lot to me and is, in a sense, a story that represents the friendship and bond the two of us have made. Bloodrayne666, thank you for being a really amazing friend and to everyone else, I hope you enjoy this story. I know I sure will because it's a story made by me and someone who I am very happy to be able to call my friend." **_

_**Note from Bloodrayne666 **_

_**"**__**I am really excited to be doing a collaboration story with one of my best friends on Fanfiction, Rirureddo, he and I have had a lot of ideas together and have helped each other in writing our fanfics when the block hits. This is the first collaboration story I'm doing with Rirureddo and I'm really excited to see how this goes. Rirureddo, thanks for being such a help and support and a great friend and to everyone else, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as me and my best friend have enjoyed writing it!**_

**Chapter One**

**A Stormy Morning**

It's a stormy morning in Night Babylon and Rouge The Bat's eyes softly flutter open to the sounds of the rain hitting hard up against her window.  
"Geez..." she mutter as she rubbed her eyes and turned her head to look at the storm going on outside. "What a horrible morning..."  
A few moments later, a lightning bolt streaked across the sky outside and the flash it emitted filled up her room.  
"Gosh, it really is horrible..." she said as she lay her head back on her pillow, letting out a deep sigh.

'This is just great...' she thought exasperatedly to herself before turning her head to look at the clock on her nightstand. "Oh well. Might as well get up now. My alarm was gonna go off in ten minutes anyways."  
After sitting up and getting out of bed, Rouge stretched her body out before starting to discard her nightgown and make her way over to her bathroom to get showered.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room of Rouge's suite, Shadow The Hedgehog was sitting on one of the couches while E-123 Omega stood in a corner of the room in standby mode.

The hedgehog had been awake for a while and had decided to watch the rain come down to pass the time.  
'Hmm, quite unexpected,' he thought to himself as he watched the storm. He was so into his thought that he didn't hear Rouge when she came down the steps.

After finishing her shower, Rouge decided to slip into one of her purple jumpsuits. She brushed her hair and applied some make-up before walking downstairs and seeing Shadow awake in the living room.  
"Oh, morning Shadow," she said, walking over to him. "You been up long?"  
Hearing Rouge's voice, Shadow turned his head to her.

"Hmm, morning to you too. Hope you had a great sleep Rouge." He turned back around and leaned more into the couch. "And no, I haven't been up all that long. About half an hour or so."  
"Ah, ok," she answered. "Yeah, I slept allright." She turned her attention over to the window as Shadow was. "Horrible weather, huh?"  
Shadow looked over as well. "Yeah. The news said yesterday that we had a high percent chance of rain today. Even so, I didn't expect it to be this severe. It's really coming down out there."  
"Yeah. Horrible, huh?"  
Shadow stood up and made his way over to the window to get a better look. "And from the looks of it, it shows no signs of letting up any time soon."  
Rouge sighed and sat down on the couch. "Oh well. Shit happens, huh?"  
Shadow nodded his head before looking at the stand-by Omega. "At least one of us isn't bothered by the weather."  
"Yeah, at least," Rouge agreed as she looked at the robot as well.

"In any case," Shadow began as he leaned against the wall next to the window and crossed his arms. "Since we're both awake, what to do now? The plan for this morning was for Omega and I to go with you on another one of your shopping sprees. But with the weather being as it is, that's obviously out of the question."

Rouge looked over at the hedgehog with a confused look.

"Why would I want to go on a shopping spree?" she asked.

Shadow grinned a bit as he remembered he and she shared a few drinks last night.

"Already forgotten, huh? You came across some jewellery and clothes in those catalogues and magazines you were looking through yesterday and decided to had to have virtually every one you deemed suit your style. And to save you the hassle of having to do most of the labour work by carrying all that you bought, you pretty much signed both Omega and I up to come with you."  
Rouge ran a hand through her hair, trying to remember her saying that but she got nothing.

"Must have been drunk, a spoilt little girl like me already has enough junk in her Aladdin's Cave, and anyway, weather like this has put me off."  
"You never did take too kindly to the rain," Shadow said. "Some other time perhaps."  
"Yeah sure, maybe," said the bat as she let out another sigh.  
Shadow felt her frustration as well, but just didn't show it as much as she was.

"This is quite the start to our vacation. It's only been a day and this comes down on us."  
"Yeah, pretty boring," said Rouge before she placed her legs up on the couch and thought about the shopping spree she, Shadow, and Omega had planned.

It soon made her think of something else.

"Now that you mention it..." she began. "All the stuff I got, I might spend this morning looking through it all. There's some clothes I don't wear anymore. Might as well give them to charity."

As she stood up and began to headed for the stairs, Shadow raised an eyebrow as he wasn't sure he heard her correctly.

"So unlike you," he said as he watched her. "You usually want to hold onto everything you have."

Going up the stairs, Rouge grinned a bit, knowing deep down that was true.

"Yeah, but again, if I'm not gonna wear it, there's no point in keeping it, is there?"  
"Very good point," said Shadow after he thought it over. "And it's going to a good cause. So it's a win-win for all involved."  
"Uh huh!" Rouge's voice called out as she reached the top of the stairs.  
"You need any help picking out what you no longer need?" Shadow called out to her.  
"Only if you wish to Shad! I'm not gonna burden you!"  
Shadow stood up straight off the wall.

"With the storm going on, there's nothing better to do so why not?" He walked over to the stairs and followed her up them.  
Rouge smiled as she saw him coming up the stairs.

"Thanks Shad. Come on then." She made her way down the hallway and into her room  
Shadow's eye flinched a bit at the nickname Rouge had come up with for him. She only recently began calling him by that and he was still getting used to it.

Soon, he shrugged it off and followed Rouge into her room.

Not even a second after entered, he saw her with her wardrobe open and was already going to work through it.  
"Not wasting any time, I see," he said as he sat on the edge of her bed.

"I never realized just how much shit I got in here..." Rouge said to herself before beginning to take out and separate some of her clothes.

"Ok, um...this can go, and this one, and that one..."  
Shadow turned his attention to the pile of clothes building up, taking notice of a few of them.

"There's some in there I never even knew you had." A few seconds later, he looked at them again. "I take that back - there's a lot I didn't know you had."  
Rouge couldn't help but laugh a bit. "It's okay." Going back to her clothes, she started muttering to herself about which ones to give away.

"Okay, this can go...That can go..." She came to a stop on a few of her tops. "This can stay...so can this..."  
"Some are a bit harder to let go of, isn't it?" Shadow chuckled.  
"Yeah, a little," Rouge responded as she continued to separate her clothes.

* * *

Soon, she had a pile of all the clothes she intended to give away.  
"Is that everything?" Shadow asked.  
Rouge nodded.

"I think so." She closed her wardrobe and looked at the clothes she had piled up. "I'll put all those in bags and take them to charity later."  
"Sounds good," said Shadow before he thought about the empty space in her closet and smirked. "Why do I get the feeling it's only a matter of time before your closet gets that filled up again?"  
Rouge turned to Shadow, returned his smirk, and gave him an innocent shrug before kneeling down to sort out the clothes she picked out.

Shadow grinned again but before he could say anything, he heard loud footsteps making their way upstairs.  
"It appears Omega's finally decided to come out of stand-by mode," said the hedgehog.  
"I wonder what he wants," Rouge said as she stood up.  
Shadow looked and saw Omega walking down the hallway towards her room. "It looks like we're about to find out."  
Soon, Omega stood right in Rouge's doorway and turned its head to Shadow. "Shadow," it said in its usual monotone voice before looking over to the bat. "Rouge.

"Good morning Omega," Rouge said with a smile as she greeted her friend. "What is it?"  
"Received message from GUN HQ," the robot replied.  
That caught Shadow's attention and a serious look appeared on his face. "Message? What kind of message?"  
"Yes. What kind of message?" Rouge repeated, the same look coming to her face as well.  
"Report to GUN HQ at twelve noon for emergency meeting," said Omega.  
Shadow's eyes narrow slightly. "A meeting, huh?"  
"Thank you Omega," Rouge said before folding her arms just underneath her chest. "Hmm, I wonder what this meeting is all about."  
Shadow was thinking the same thing.

"Maybe a routine meeting just to check on the welfare and well-being of the agents. Or may be something else entirely. Whatever the case, we'll find out when we get there."

Rouge thought about it some more before agreeing with Shadow.

"Yeah, okay." With that being said, she went back to sorting her clothes.  
Standing up, Shadow stretched out his body a bit before noticing that Omega was looking at the clothes Rouge was going through.

"Rouge is donating those to charity," he said to the robot. "Just in case you're curious."

Omega turned its head to Rouge and made a motion with its head as if it was cocking it to the side.

"Very out of character."  
"That's what I said," Shadow smirked.  
Like she did with Shadow earlier, Rouge gave him and Omega another innocent shrug.

"A girl just wants to get rid of a few things, that's all!"  
"And it's going to a good cause, so that's something too," Shadow added.

Omega then moved it's head up and down in a nodding motion, agreeing with them.  
Shadow looked over at the window, seeing the rain still coming down like no tomorrow.

"Well Rouge, before we go and drop those clothes off and see what's up with the meeting GUN's called, how does breakfast sound?"  
Rouge smiled over at him. She was feeling a bit hungry and wasn't going to turn down food.

"That sounds great Shadow. Thank you."  
Shadow nodded to her before turning to Omega.

"Omega, care to give me hand?"  
"Affirmative," the robot replied.  
"Alright, let's go," said Shadow as he left Rouge's room with Omega following him. "And this time, don't accidentally burn anything. We both remember what happened last time. No need for a repeat of it."  
"Affirmative..." Omega repeated, only this time in a bit more of a lower tone as it indeed remembered what Shadow was referring to.

Rouge chuckled and shook her head at her friends as she watched them leave.

"If those two know what's good for them, they'd better not try and burn down my kitchen again!" She went back to sorting her clothes as her mind trailed to what the meeting GUN summoned them for could be about.  
'Hmm, like Shadow said, I suppose we'll find out what's up all in due time.'

**And that's our first chapter! Hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more coming soon!**

**Love Bloodrayne666 and ****Rirureddo**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Differing Opinions**

A bit later after Rouge had gathered all of the clothes she was going to donate to charity, as well as after eating the breakfast prepared by Shadow and Omega, Team Dark was making their way out of Club Rouge to head for the nearest charity building in Station Square and afterwards head for the GUN HQ.  
Rouge had changed into her usual attire along with a coat and was walking towards her car with the hood over her head.

Hearing metallic footsteps behind her, she turned and saw Omega following her, carrying a few bags in it's claws that were filled with her unwanted clothes.  
"Sorry about asking you to do that for me Omega," the bat said as she approached her car. "But I do appreciate the help."  
"Not a problem," Omega responded as it followed her to her car.  
Rouge opened the trunk as well as back doors of her car. "We'll drop these off and then head to GUN HQ."  
"Understood," the robot replied as it began to put the bags into the car.

A few seconds later, Shadow came out of the club carrying more bags filled with Rouge's clothes. Rouge looked over and she couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the hedgehog carrying bags. 'Heh, there's something you don't see every day,' she thought to herself.  
Shadow had on black jeans along with a red and black shirt and a hooded jacket as he walked over to the back of her car. "You sure went the extra mile in all the clothes you picked out," he said as he joined Omega in loading up the car.  
"Yeah I did, didn't I?" she responded as she realized just how many clothes she had packed. "Well like I said, If I'm not going to wear those things why let them gather dust in the wardrobe?"  
Shadow nodded in agreement and continued to load the car up with the bags until he had all of his inside. "Alright. That's all on my side."  
"Mine as well," said Omega.  
Rouge smiled as she closed the back doors and trunk. "Thanks guys. If that's everything, we'll go then."  
"Yeah," said Shadow before he turned to Omega. "Omega, you know the location of where we're going right? How about you get a head start and meet us there?"  
Omega moved its head in a nodding motion. "Affirmative." It began to activate its jet boosters on its back.  
"We'll meet you there Omega!" Rouge called out to the robot just as it rose up into the air and she and Shadow got into her car.

* * *

After rising to a good couple of feet, Omega turned to the direction the charity building was in and flew off towards it through the rain. At the same time, Rouge started up her car and began to follow Omega through the wet and damp streets of Station Square.  
Shadow stretched out a bit in his seat, taking notice of the ongoing storm. "We're certainly in for the long haul with this one," he said. "Wouldn't surprise me if it goes on all day."  
"Looks like it!" said Rouge as she turned on the windshield wipers to make it easier to see where she was going.

Shadow relaxed back into his seat and sighed contently, enjoying the ride. "So, what'd you think of breakfast?" he asked with a smirk. "I'd say Omega and I did a better job than last time."  
Rouge smiled as she remembered the incredible spread the two of them had come up with. "It was great! I have to say you both did a great job at not burning down the kitchen!"  
"Heh, well you know how Omega can get when it comes to fire," Shadow chuckled. "He sometimes goes a bit overboard with his flamethrowers."  
"Yeah, he can," Rouge grinned.  
She and Shadow continued to converse with each other until they reached their destination - the local Salvation Army. "Ah, here we are," she said as she approached the building and saw Omega already outside. "There he is!"  
Shadow looked and saw their companion as well. "Yeah."  
Hearing the familiar sound of Rouge's car engine, Omega turned its head and saw it approaching.  
Rouge pulled up in front of the robot and parked the car on the side of the street.

"Okay Shad..." she began as she turned her car off and looked at the rain. "Better be prepared."  
Shadow nodded and made a move to get out of the car before remembering something. "Now that I think about it, didn't you say you kept an umbrella in here in case you ever needed it?"  
"Yeah," Rouge answered, remembering as well and pointing behind him. "There's one behind your seat."  
Shadow turned around and leaned into the back of the car, looking for and eventually finding the umbrella underneath the many bags. "Here it is," he said as he pulled back into the front of the car and opened his door. "Although we're already dressed appropriately, it never hurts to be too safe." He exited the car, closed his door behind him, and went over to the driver's side, waiting for Rouge.  
Smiling in thanks at him, Rouge grabbed a couple of the bags from the back of her car and stepped out underneath the umbrella.

"Thanks Shadow," she said as she adjusted her coat more tighter on her body. "Okay, I got the bags. Let's get in!"  
Shadow nodded before he noticed a few more bags in the car and he reached inside to get as many as he could before looking over at Omega. "Omega, there's a couple more inside. think you can get them?"  
"Affirmative," the robot replied going to the car, opening the door, and taking the remaining bags.  
"Thanks guys," said Rouge, locking her door after Omega got the bags and closes the door. "Come on, let's get in before we get soaked!"  
Shadow and Omega nodded their heads and just as they did, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a loud rumble of thunder. Not wasting any more time, Rouge hurried herself and her friends into the Salvation Army building.

"Whoa!" Rouge exclaimed once they were inside. "That lightning was pretty close!"  
"Sure was," Shadow agreed as he closed the umbrella and turned back to look outside, seeing traces of the lightning bolt in the sky.  
Omega went to look out the window and turned its attention to the sky as well, its eyes scanning the surrounding area. "Sensors indicate that had it not been for a nearby lightning rod, the lightning bolt would've touched ground."  
Shadow crossed his arms while Rouge let out a small sigh of relief. "Thanks for that information Omega," she said before looking around and seeing that along with the employees she saw inside, they were the only ones there.

* * *

Motioning for Shadow and Omega to come with her, she lead them to the front desk.  
Standing behind the desk was a female grey badger with black eyes and black hair. Looking up, she saw Team Dark approaching her and greeted the three of them with a smile. "Oh, good morning you three! It's been a while since you last came here! What have you got for us today?"  
"Hi there Alexis!" Rouge greeted back, returning the smile. "The guys and I were just dropping off some clothes that I don't wear anymore." She placed the bags she had on the desk. "Hope you can find them useful!"

Shadow placed his bags on the counter too, as did Omega. "And there's quite a few of them as well," said the hedgehog.  
"Oh, how wonderful!" said Alexis as she looked at the bags, taking note of how many clothes were in them. "Wow, that is a lot! Having a clear out, eh Ms. Bat?"  
"I guess you could say that, stuff you don't wear anymore, why hang onto it, eh?" Rouge answered, grinning.  
Alexis nodded before turning to face the back of the room. "Bianca, we've got some new clothes!"  
"Coming!" a female voice called out. A few moments later, a young female brown possum with brown eyes and brown hair walked up to the front, seeing Team Dark.

"Oh! Hey you guys!"  
Rouge greeted her with a smile and wave whereas Shadow and Omega gave her nod of their heads.  
Bianca looked over at the desk and it was then that she noticed all of the clothes in bags. "Whoa! That sure is a lot!"  
Alexis chuckled. "I know! That's what I said!"

"I'll get right to work on getting these put up," said Bianca as she began to do so.  
Alexis nodded her head and turned back to Rouge. "Thank you Ms. Bat. We really appreciate this."  
Rouge grinned. "I'm glad I was able to help."  
Shadow saw that Bianca was taking all of the bags herself so he decided to give her a helping hand, going over and helping her take the bags of clothes to the back. Rouge saw this and she couldn't help but smile at her friend's gentlemanly behavior.  
"Thank you Shadow," Bianca said with a smile, grateful for his help.  
Shadow nodded at her, giving her a rare smile that he usually never gave to anyone else other than Rouge and Omega. "No problem at all."

While Shadow helped Bianca carry the bags to the back, Rouge chatted a bit longer with Alexis and Omega went to look outside the window at the raging storm outside, scanning for any possibilities of it worsening or letting up.  
Soon, the manager of the building - a female brown otter with black hair and brown eyes - walked up to the front and saw Team Dark.

"Ah, we have visitors!" she said before turning her attention to Rouge. "Rouge! It's great to see you again!"  
"Hello Courtney!" Rouge greeted. "It's nice to see you too! How are you?"  
"All has been well," Courtney answered, smiling at the bat. "The same as all other days - all of us doing our part to help support those who can't support themselves."

She looked and saw Shadow and Omega. "Oh, and you've brought company with you."  
Rouge smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Well, I couldn't carry everything to the car and over here myself. I'm grateful they were there to help."  
Courtney watched as Shadow continued to help Bianca with the bags. "It truly is amazing that individuals such as yourselves would take the time to do this," she said with a smile. "It means so much."  
"Like you said..." Shadow began as he picked up more bags. "We're just doing our part to help in any way we can."  
Rouge nodded. "Exactly. And if it helps, then great!" A smile came to her face as she flipped her hair over her shoulders. "Well, I hope you find them useful."  
"We certainly will," said Courtney. "So, where are you three off to this morning? Especially in this weather."

Shadow helped Bianca take the last of the bags to the back before walking back to the front of the room.

"We were originally on vacation," he said, moving his arms around a bit after carrying the bags. "But hey, when duty calls, we gotta answer."  
"Indeed," said Rouge before she checked her watch. "And we'd better head there now."  
"Totally understandable," said Courtney before smiling at Team Dark. "On behalf of everyone here, thank you again so much. I'm sure that these clothes will benefit someone in the future."  
"You're very welcome!" Rouge responded, smiling back at her.  
Courtney nodded at her. "The three of you be careful out there. The weather is really nasty!"  
"It sure is," Shadow agreed. "Don't worry. We will." He looked over at Omega, who was watching the storm the entire time. "Omega, it's time to go."  
Omega nodded its head before focusing more on the storm, a few monitoring beeps coming from its body. "It would appear the storm is going to get worse," it said. "30% chance of hail. Heavy winds imminent."  
'Great, just great...' Rouge thought to herself. "Again, thanks for the info Omega," she said out loud. "Okay boys, let's hurry to the car and get to the headquarters before we're all blown away!"  
After bidding everyone farewell, Rouge hurried Shadow and Omega outside and once they were, Omega activated its booster jets and took off into the sky for the GUN HQ, followed closely behind by Rouge and Shadow after they'd gotten into her car and sped off down the street.

* * *

Waving goodbye to them as they left, Courtney looked over at Alexis. "Truly amazing lot those three, no?"  
"Indeed they are," Alexis said, smiling. "I have to say though, that hedgehog is handsome. Rouge is a lucky girl."  
Courtney laughed a bit. "I don't think they're even together or if a relationship has even crossed their minds. You know how they can be." She placed a finger to her chin as a thoughtful look came to her face. "But you're right - that Shadow is quite the looker."  
"Hehe, he sure is," Alexis chuckled.  
Courtney and Alexis shared another laugh before another thought came to the otter. "You know, now that I stop and think about it..." she began. "Who would've ever thought that those three would become who they are now? We know about their pasts, and with that being said, the fact that they've become agents of GUN and are doing all they can to help make Mobius safe for all of us is really something."  
Alexis couldn't help but agree. "You got a good point there. Well, it doesn't matter about who they were or where they came from, they're helping keep Mobius safe and that's what matters."

Courtney nodded and she and Alexis continued their conversation. However, two other workers, a male green lizard and a female brown raccoon, were talking amongst themselves and had different opinions about Team Dark.  
"Tsk," the lizard said, rolling his eyes. "Deirdre, did you hear that?"  
"Yeah, I heard it Eric," she answered with a scoff. "What're they talking about? Team Dark? Good guys? Pleeeaaase!"  
Eric nodded and his eyes narrowed as he continued to put up the clothes he and Deirdre had. "I'm telling you, what short term memories everyone seems to have these days," he muttered. "Have they completely forgotten who those three are?"  
"Yeah," Deirdre responded as she helped him. "A terrorist, a jewel thief, and a destroyer robot. And GUN hired them, why?"  
"Hell as I know," Eric shrugged. "They must've been real desperate to even think about letting those three in."  
"Yeah! Really desperate..." Deirdre agreed, glaring at the door Team Dark made their exit from.  
Eric did the same, his eyes narrowing even more in pure disgust as he thought about Team Dark. To tell you the truth, we all would've been better off if those three would've never been born, or in that robot and bastard hedgehog's cases, made."  
Courtney overheard the two of them talking and a frown came to her face as she began to approach them.  
"Couldn't agree more," said Deirdre. She turned her head, saw Courtney coming towards them, and spoke in a hushed tone to Eric. "Oops! Shush! The manager!" She then stood to attention, facing Courtney.  
Eric cursed mentally and did the same.  
Courtney crossed her arms as she looked down at them. "Is there anything you two would like to share?"  
"Erm, no ma'am," Deirdre answered, hoping that the otter hadn't heard her and Eric.  
"Nothing at all," the lizard added, thinking the same thing Deirdre was.  
Courtney was having none of it and decided to put the two of them in their place. "Don't even. I heard what you both were talking about. How can you bring yourselves to even think that way about three individuals who have given their lives to protect not only you but everyone on Mobius?"

Eric began to keep quiet and not say anything, but he decided against it and spoke his mind. "With all due respect Ma'am, there were many times when they were the cause of Mobius being put in danger!"  
"Yeah!" Deirdre added, following Eric's lead. "Have you forgotten that!?"  
Alexis and Bianca heard what Eric and Deirdre were saying as well and had heard enough.

"No! We haven't!" the badger yelled. "But they put things right again!"  
"That's right!" Bianca piped in. "You shouldn't judge them because of things they did in the past! It's just that - the past!"

Eric couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Put things right again!? Come on, how blind are you!? The three of them have done nothing but makes things worse! Think of all the incidents that have happened - The Ark Incident, Dr. Eggman's robot Metal Sonic running amuck, when the Black Arms aliens invaded, and that whole incident with the Dark Brotherhood! Those three were involved in some shape, form, or fashion and they didn't make any of those situations any better!"  
"Yeah!" Deirdre agreed.

* * *

Soon, a full argument broke out over the workers and Courtney, having heard enough, decided to put an end to the fight before it got any worse than it already had.

"Alright, that's enough everyone!" she yelled out, clapping her hands loudly.  
Almost instantly, the yelling stopped and Courtney turned her attention to Eric and Deirdre. "Regardless of how you both feel, those three have done all they can to help make this planet a safe place to live for everyone, including yourselves. They're not saints but then again, no one is. We've all done things we're not proud of and work to ensure they don't happen again. That's exactly what those three are doing."  
Deirdre placed a hand on her hip and sighed in an irritated fashion while Eric crossed his arms and had a scowl on his face.  
Courtney took a deep breath, calming herself before continuing. "Now then, if everyone here is calm and collected, we all have jobs to do."  
"Right on boss," said Alexis.  
"Yes ma'am," said Bianca as she went back to work.  
Eric and Deirdre were both silent before an agitated sigh came from the lizard.

"Whatever you say boss."  
Courtney nodded and watched as Eric and Deirdre went on about their business tending to the store and she in turn made her way towards her office.  
While walking with Deirdre to continue working, Eric leaned over to her and said in a hushed tone, "It doesn't matter what she says. Those three are, was, and always will be nothing but trouble,"  
"You got that right," said Deirdre, agreeing all the way.

**So Rouge has donated her unwanted clothes, but it seems not everyone is happy to see her, Shadow or Omega. Seems some people can't let go of the past. **

**Hope to have another chapter up hopefully sooner! But until then enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Love Bloodrayne666 and Rirureddo**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**The Meeting**

Rouge continued to drive up the road until she saw the GUN HQ appear in sight. "Here we are Shad."  
Shadow, who decided to rest his eyes for the remainder of the drive, opened his eyes and saw them approaching the headquarters. He looked at the clock on Rouge's stereo to see what time it was.

"Didn't take anywhere near as long as I thought. We made good time, especially considering the weather and the extra stop we made."  
"Yeah, pretty good time," Rouge agreed as she reached the parking lot of the headquarters and parked in an empty space that was close to the building. "I think because of the weather, not many are out."

She turned the engine off and stretched her body out, relaxing her muscles after sitting in the same position for so long.

"You ready to get out?" she asked the hedgehog as she reached behind the seat for her umbrella.  
"Yeah. Let's not keep everyone waiting," said Shadow. "They're not exactly the patient bunch at times."  
"You got that right!" Rouge chuckled before opening the door, stepping out, and opening the umbrella.

After closing her door, she ran over to Shadow's side and opened the door for him, holding the umbrella over his head as well as her own. It was then that she saw the semi-tired expression on his face.

"You okay Shadow?"  
Shadow stepped out of the car and, picking up on her concern, he gave her a reassuring smirk. "Of course."  
Rouge smiled and kept the umbrella over them as he closed the door behind him. "Cool. Let's go."  
Shadow nodded and after Rouge locked her car, they made their way towards the GUN HQ.

As the reached the stairs leading to the entrance, Shadow heard the familiar sound of Omega's jet boosters and turns around, seeing the robot landing a short distance from them.  
Rouge turned around as well and smiled as she saw their robotic companion.

"Ah, there you are Omega. Quickly, get to the front door before you rust in the rain!" She chuckled at the last bit.  
Shadow chuckled a bit as well before he smirked as realization came to him.

"We actually got here before you? Heh, what a shock."  
Omega walked towards them, water dripping off of its body. "Both the wind and rain have increased since leaving Club Rouge. The combination of both affected my flight capabilities while airborne. But no need for concern. Thanks to many of my new upgrades, my overall system is intact and fully functional."  
"That's good to know," said Rouge. "Though I gotta admit, I'm surprised that we actually got somewhere first before you did. But after hearing your explanation, it makes sense. Now then, come on you two," she said as she lead them both to the front door and swiped her ID card through a slot to be let in. "We better not keep them waiting."  
"Yeah," Shadow agreed as the front door to the building opened.  
Omega nodded its head and followed both Mobians into the building.  
"Phew, glad we're inside..." Rouge said as she closed the umbrella and shook the water off. Afterwards, she turned to Shadow and Omega. "You two alright?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Shadow answered, smoothing out his jacket a bit.  
A couple of beeps came from Omega's body. "Body scan complete," it responded. "No external or internal damage."  
"Cool," Rouge smiled. "Come on then. Let's go see the commander."  
"Affirmative," said Omega.  
"And to see what's so important it was worth cancelling our vacation," Shadow added as he and Omega began to walk with Rouge into the HQ.

* * *

Once inside, Team Dark saw that the usual hustle and bustle was going on within the GUN HQ. Agents were all about, running errands of all kinds, just conversing with each other, or like Team Dark was, reporting for duty.  
Shadow crossed his arms as his thoughts trailed back to his previous statement. "After all the hard work we've been putting in, I was looking forward to a little downtime."  
"I don't understand it either Shadow," Rouge said, sighing. "And I admit, yeah I was looking forward to a little downtime too. We've been working hard as hell around here, probably more than everyone else."

While walking, she began to run her hands through her hair, trying to fix it up so that she'd look presentable in front of the commander.  
"We'll find out soon enough," said Shadow before he looked over, saw her fixing her hair, and shook his head. "Don't fret over the way you look. You look fine."  
Rouge was a bit surprised at Shadow's compliment towards her. It wasn't very often that she heard him say things like that. Regardless, she couldn't help but smile at his words and blush slightly.

"Thanks Shadow."  
Replaying his words in his head, Shadow realized what he had said and in response, he simply cleared his throat and nodded his head at her.  
Team Dark walked a bit more, greeting the agents that they passed. After asking one of them where the meeting would be held, they headed down the hallway leading to the room until they reached a set of double doors.

"We've arrived," said Omega.  
"Thanks Omega," said Rouge after coming to a stop along with the robot and Shadow.  
"Hmm, I wonder if everyone else that was called upon are already here," Shadow thought.  
"I wonder as well," Rouge repeated before she knocked on the door. "Let's find out."

A few seconds later, a voice behind the door could be heard. "Name yourselves and state the order of your business."  
"Team Dark, reporting for duty," Shadow answered.  
"Agents Rouge The Bat, Shadow The Hedgehog, and E-123 Omega," Rouge added.  
"Ah yes," said the voice. "We've been expecting you. Please enter."  
The door opened and Rouge led Shadow and Omega inside the room where the meeting would be taking place.

* * *

Once inside, Team Dark saw many agents inside conversing with each other to pass the time.  
"It looks like quite a lot were called in," said Shadow as he looked around, taking into account just how many agents were in the room. "Must be something big for this many to be here."  
Rouge nodded.

"Seems like it. Come on, we'd better find us a spot in here and get ready for when the meeting starts."  
As Team Dark walked in, several agents looked towards them and acknowledged their presence as well as carried on their conversations.  
"Hey Rouge, hey Shadow, hey Omega."  
"Glad you could make it."  
"Rough weather huh?"  
"Tell me about it!"  
"Can't believe I had to come in not only on my day off but also in this weather!"  
"Sucks balls huh?"  
Shadow smirked a bit as he heard his fellow agents words.

"It seems like everyone else shares our feelings on the matter, eh Omega?"  
The robot responded by nodding its head and continuing to walk alongside Shadow and Rouge.

"Rouge! Hey Rouge!"  
Her ears twitching from hearing her name being called, Rouge looked towards where the voice came from and was overjoyed to see her friend Topaz waving her hand at her.

"Topaz!" the bat said, waving back to her and walking over to her with Shadow and Omega. "Hey there hun! How are you?"  
"To be honest, could be a lot better," Topaz answered. "It looks like you got called to this meeting too huh?"  
Rouge nodded, placing a hand on her hip.

"Sure did. Was enjoying the time off at home. What about you? What were you doing when you were called in?"  
A grin appeared on Topaz's face.

"I was actually planning a cruise."  
"A cruise!?" Rouge exclaimed. "Honey, I wouldn't mind one myself! Where were you planning on going?"  
"Oh you know, just a week or maybe a couple weeks on a cruise ship, just travelling the sea," said Topaz, a dreamy, far away look replacing her grin.

"Just relaxing on the wide, open sea under the sunny sky, not a care in the world."  
Shadow had a seat at one of the empty chairs beside them, keeping his arms crossed.

"Hmm, sounds like quite the vacation."

Topaz snapped back to reality and it was then that she noticed Shadow.

"Oh Shadow!" She looked behind the hedgehog and saw Omega as well. "And Omega! Hey there boys!"  
"Hello to you too, Topaz," Shadow responded.  
"Good to see you again," Omega added.  
Topaz smiled and nodded. "Same to you guys!"  
Rouge grinned before she had a seat as well.

"Heh, I bet they both are glad they were noticed."  
Both Shadow and Omega turned their heads at Rouge, a look of slight annoyance on Shadow's face as he and Omega heard her comment. Rouge felt the looks and smirked as she turned her attention back to Topaz.

"In any case, I hope that you get that cruise sorted out hon. Who knows, maybe I'll come join you!"  
Topaz retutned the bat's smirk and also chuckled. "Here's hoping. So, how about you three? How's things been going?"  
"Same old," Shadow answered. "We hardly had the time to get anything started as far as our vacation goes."  
Rouge nodded.

"Yeah, what Shadow said. Well, the weather's been awful so it wasn't too pleasant coming in today, but back home I got some tidying up done and got rid of some old clothes I don't wear anymore."

She smiled.

"We just donated them to the Salvation Army before coming here."  
That last comment really got Topaz's attention and she raised an eyebrow at Rouge. "You...got rid of clothes?"  
Shadow smirked. "Believe me, Omega and I had the same reaction."  
"Well, if I'm not gonna wear them what's the point in keeping them?" Rouge asked, shrugging her shoulders in the process.  
"Very good point there," Topaz agreed. "It's just that, for as long as I've known you, you like to hold onto everything you get."  
Rouge looked over at her friend and winked. "Well, it looks like there's a part of me you don't know too well!"  
Topaz grinned and shook her head. "I suppose so."

* * *

All of the agents continued to chat with one another for a while until the doors to the room opened.

"Agents, at attention!" called out the agent that was standing near the door.  
Everyone looked over and saw two individuals - an elderly male and a middle aged brown dog - walk though the doorway and into the room.  
Rouge nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw them.

'Commander Abraham Tower and Commander Samson Montgomery...' she thought to herself before standing up and saluting.  
Shadow, Omega, and Topaz stood and saluted along with everyone else as the two commanders made their way to the front of the room, both of them standing on either side of a large screen on the wall behind them.  
Samson turned and looked out at all of the agents.

"At ease, everyone," he called out.  
All of the agents relax and sit back down in their seats.  
"First and foremost," Samson began. "We appreciate you taking the time out of your vacations to attend this meeting."  
"We know that it's been a very tiring time for you all," Abraham added. "But we wouldn't have called for this meeting if it weren't of the most utmost importance."  
Samson nodded. "Indeed. Thank you all for being here."  
Team Dark, along with the other agents, all listened intently, wondering what it is they well called to the meeting for.  
Abraham looked around, taking note of how many agents showed up, and smiled.

"I must say, it does my heart wonders to see that everyone who was asked to come is here and accounted for."  
All of the agents smiled and nodded their heads. Rouge glanced over at some of them and as she did, her eyes fell on Shadow and she noticed the hard look he hand on his face.

"You okay Shad?" she whispered.  
"Yeah, I'm alright," he whispered back. "Just wondering what it is that it calls for not one but two commanders to oversee the meeting. You've been here longer than I have Rouge. Can you recall if anything like this has happened before?"  
Rouge shrugged.

"Sometimes two commanders appear at a meeting if there's a large issue happening, but I don't know of anything that is happening now."  
"A large issue, huh?" Shadow repeated. "I suppose we'll find out soon enough."  
"Now then," Samson began. "Onto the meeting at hand." He motioned to the agent near the door. "Lights, please."  
The agent nodded his head and flipped the light switch, dimming the lights.  
"Hello?" Rouge questioned as she looked around. "What's going on?"  
Topaz shrugged as she did the same. "You got me."

As the other agents wondered just what was going on, the screen between Abraham and Samson turned on.  
"What's going on here?" Rouge asked. "I wonder what they're gonna show us."  
"Same here," said Topaz as she looked at the screen.  
Shadow was focused entirely on the screen, his crimson eyes narrowing a bit.  
"Everyone" said Samson as he turned his attention to the screen. "Observe."  
The agents did so and a few moments later, a slideshow began on the screen, showing masked individuals.  
Rouge narrowed her eyes much like how Shadow did. "Masked individuals? I wonder who they are and who they work for."  
"I have no idea," Topaz said before a frown appeared on her face. "They don't look familiar but they do look like trouble."  
"Trouble is right," Rouge agreed as she flexed her toes where she had sharp iron on her boot. 'I'd love to give them a right butt kicking.'  
Shadow kept the same look on his face before turning to Omega. "You have any clue who these guys are by any chance?"  
"Negative," Omega said. "No information available."  
'Figured as much,' the hedgehog thought before turning his attention back to the screen.  
"I'm not sure if you've all heard," said Samson as he stepped forward. "But for the past month or so, there were ramblings and rumors of a militant group talking about rebellion against us."  
"Which means we must be vigilant for any suspicious activity," Abraham added as he stepped forward as well. "Though these rumours haven't been proven to be true, we must keep our eyes and minds open."  
Samson nodded. "Indeed. For all we know, this could be a joke. But when you see things like this..." The slideshow goes to a video where it shows one of the masked individuals burning a picture that has the GUN logo on it. "...it makes you wonder."

At the sight of the video, Shadow frowned and clenched his fists in an angry fashion.  
"That looks serious," Rouge said, glaring at the video.  
Abraham looked at the video of the GUN logo being burned and sighed. "You are right Samson. Seeing something like that does make you wonder, as well as possibly feeling scared and having fear put into you."  
The agents began to ponder and think about the pictures and video they seen and some of them were indeed feeling the fear Abraham mentioned.

Meanwhile, the look of anger on Shadow's face was replaced with one of confidence and he smirked.

"Scared?" he said out loud, getting everyone's attention. "If you ask me, if they have the guts to even think about trying something, let alone actually coming here and doing it, they're the ones who should be scared because they obviously have no idea who they're messing with."  
Topaz grinned after hearing Shadow's words. "Heh, right on!"  
Rouge smirked and nodded, agreeing with her friend. "You got that right Shadow!"  
Omega agreed as well by clenching its claws together and placed them into its other claws, simulating punching its palms.

A confident grin came to Abraham's face as well. "Excellent words Shadow. That's exactly what I like to hear."  
The other agents looked at Team Dark and, after finding their confidence restored after hearing Shadow's words, all started to rally.  
"We're with the hedgehog!"  
"Us too!"  
"Right on!"  
Samson smiled as he saw the agents all rallying together and then looked at Shadow.

"Just the answer I'd expect from you Shadow." He then looked out at everyone else. "As well as the rest of you. Whatever challenge arises that threatens the planet, all that live here, and even us ourselves as an organization, we'll rise up above it and conquer it!"**  
**Abraham clapped his hands. "Well said Samson!"All of the agents cheer in agreement. While Rouge clapped her hands along with everyone else, she smiled over at Shadow, proud of his earlier answer. Shadow looked over at her and returned her smile with a smirk before leaning back into his chair.**  
**Samson motioned for the agent near the entrance to turn back on the lights, which he did.

"Now then, before we close the meeting, is there anything anyone else would like to add?"**  
**No one said a word.**  
**"Very well," said Abraham. "Very well. Remember everyone, to be on the safe side keep a sharp eye out for anything suspicious to attains to what we've all seen today."**  
**Everyone nodded.**  
**"And with that, we close our meeting," Abraham concluded. "You all are dismissed."**  
**"Once again thank you for your attendance and good day to you all," Samson added.**  
**The agents all stand and salute the commanders, who returned the salutes.

* * *

Afterwards, the agents all began to leave the room one after another, until the only ones remaining were Team Dark and Topaz."Well, that was...interesting," said Rouge as she looked as she looked over at Topaz.**  
**"No kidding," said Topaz. "I gotta admit, coming into this I wasn't expecting to hear this. I mean, some group trying to come at us?" She crossed her arms and scoffed. "Even if those pictures and videos are jokes, who the hell do they think they are?"**  
**"Tell me about it!" said Rouge. "I secretly hope it's just some immature idiots who want to get on our wick, I mean think about it, if they are just some punks trying to intimidate us, we can just round them up and lock them in the cells, after a serious butt kicking of course!"**  
**The two females shared a laugh with each other. "And there's no way I'm gonna miss out on that!" Topaz added after her laughing subsided.**  
**"Well then..." Shadow began, getting the attention of the two women. "Now that the meeting's over, what're you going to do now Topaz?"**  
**"Dunno," she answered, shrugging her shoulders. "With the weather being how it is, there's not much to do. I'm sure I'll find something to pass the time. I always do, heh. How about you guys?"**  
**Rouge sighed and shrugged, much like Topaz did. "Well if that meeting was just it, might as well head back home. I'm sure Shadow, Omega and I will find something to do. With the weather being way it is, like you said there's not much we can do."**  
**"Yeah," Topaz agreed. "It really sucks."**  
**Shadow couldn't help but agree as well. He was about to say something when he looked over and saw Abraham and Samson walking over towards them.**  
**Rouge saw her friend looking and followed his gaze, seeing the commanders as well.

'I wonder what they want.'**  
**The commanders reached them and Topaz saluted them. "Commander Abraham, Commander Samson. Is there something wrong?"**  
**Abraham smiled at her.

"At ease Agent Topaz," he said, her lowering her hand afterwards. "All is well. Samson and I were hoping to catch you all before you left."**  
**Shadow raised an eyebrow. "And why is that sir?"**  
**"Yes. Why?" Rouge asked after lowering her hand too, just as curious as everyone else was.**  
**Abraham looked at them all, one by one.

"The both of us wanted to personally thank you for rallying everyone during our meeting. It boosted the morale of everyone, the two of us included."**  
**"Well, it was Shadow who did most of it," said Rouge as she smiled over at the hedgehog.**  
**"It needed to be said," Shadow responded. "Whoever these guys are trying to start something, if it is real, everyone needs to know that we're not going to just sit here and take it."**  
**Topaz smirked and nodded. "Yeah, what he said."**  
**"Just the answer I'd expect from you Shadow," said Samson.**  
**"Indeed," Rouge said, still smiling at the hedgehog. "Well said Shadow."**  
**It was then that Shadow turned to Rouge and gave her one of his rare genuine smiles, something he hardly ever did.**  
**"Thank you again, Agent Shadow," said Abraham. "I'm sure that Maria is proudly looking down on you after your words today."**  
**"It was nothing sir," Shadow answered, his smile remaining as he thought of his dear departed friend.**  
**"We'll take our leaves now sirs," said Topaz. "We know that you have a lot of business to take care of."**  
**Rouge nodded. "Indeed. And please, inform us if you find out anything new?"**  
**"Will do," said Samson.**  
**"We will indeed," Abraham added.**  
**Rouge smiled at them and, along with Shadow, Omega, and Topaz, saluted them. "Thank you sirs."Both commanders saluted them back and afterwards watched as they left the room.

Once they were gone, Abraham turned to Samson.

"We have a lot to do concerning the matter at hand, including informing the president."

Samson nodded back at him.

"Yes. Let's not waste any more time and get to work. If this situation is real, we'll have to be sure to be ready for anything."

**So that's why Team Dark was called to GUN Headquarters. **

**Stay tuned for more coming soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Plan of Attack**

Abraham was in his office on the top floor of the GUN HQ looking out over the stormy Station Square from the large window before him. It had been a few hours since the meeting concerning the threat against GUN had ended and he was thinking about all that had transpired during the gathering.  
"Penny for your thoughts Abraham?"  
Snapping out of his thoughts, Abraham turned to look behind him and saw Samson approaching him.

"Ah, Samson. I didn't hear you come in."  
"My apologies, my good man," said Samson as he stood beside his fellow commander.  
Abraham waved it off. "No need for apologies. No harm done."  
Samson nodded and joined Abraham in looking out over the city.

"So, what exactly is on your mind? It's apparent that something's troubling you." He looked over at him. "Would it have anything to do with what we learned so far concerning out current situation?"  
Abraham sighed and closed his eyes.

"Ever since the meeting ended, I've thought of nothing else. We'll have to approach this as we would any other threat and take it seriously. We can't risk the chance in case what we saw was as real and you and I."  
"Right you are Abraham," Samson agreed, a slight frown coming to his face. "We should approach this with caution though."  
"Yes," Abraham said with a nod before looking over at him. "Do you have any suggestions?"  
A thoughtful look came to Samson's face. "A few..."  
"And those would be?" Abraham asked.  
"Send in some agents undercover," Samson answered, looking back out the window. "Find out their real plan. Or watch from a safe distance. Some of our agents are talented in the ways of disguise and listening skills."  
Abraham thought over both ideas in his head.

"Both options are excellent ideas," he said after a couple seconds. "But we know next to nothing about these individuals. We're not even sure if they operate here in Station Square. The only things we have are the photos and videos we've seen. More information will have to be gathered before taking action."  
Samson placed both of his hands behind his back.

"I'm glad you think highly of my ideas." He sighed afterwards. "And yes, you're correct. Much needs to be known about whom we're dealing with. And I will do what it takes to find out."  
"You and I both, my friend," said Samson.

"But for now, we must attend to the matters at hand. We must inform the president of all we know and see where he stands on where we should go from here." said Abraham.  
"Indeed," Samson agreed.  
"Let's see if we can contact him," said Abraham as he walked over to his desk.

Samson nodded and followed him. Once the commanders were at Abraham's desk, the silver-haired commander pushed a button underneath it.

* * *

Afterwards, a large monitor came down on the wall opposite of were the desk was. Both of them watches as a few seconds later, the president appeared on the screen.  
"Good morning Mr. President," said Abraham, saluting as he did so.  
Samson saluted as well. "Morning sir."  
"Ah, Abraham. Samson," the president greeted with a smile. "It's great to hear from you both. At ease, men."  
Abraham and Samson both put their arms down and stood with them behind their backs.  
"Information to be reported, sir," said Samson.  
"Information of the up most importance that couldn't wait," Abraham added.  
This immediately grabbed the president's attention. "I'm listening."  
"We've gathered information hinting towards hate gangs," said Samson.  
"Hate gangs?" the president repeated.  
Abraham nodded. "Yes sir. We thought it may have been a joke, but the more we think about it, this is potentially a serious threat."  
"And we may need to gather more evidence on their intentions, whatever they may be," Samson added.  
"Hmm," the president murmured as he was deep in thought. "And you say you've gotten evidence?"  
Both commanders nodded.  
"I'd like to see it for myself," said the president. "See what it is that we're dealing with."  
"Yes sir," said Samson. "Right away."  
Samson picked up a disc that was on his desk and inserted it into his computer followed by him typing on his keyboard. "We're transferring what we have to you right now sir."  
The president nodded and waited for the evidence to arrive on the computer he had nearby.

* * *

Soon, it arrived and he began to watch the same slide-show that Abraham, Samson, and the other agents saw. As he watched, his expression became hard and angry.  
Samson saw the look change on the president and remembered how he himself felt when watching the evidence.

"Not at pretty sight..."  
"I agree," the president said as the slide-show continued. "And these actions won't be tolerated."  
"Certainly not," Samson agreed.  
The president continued to watch until the slide-show reached the video of the GUN logo being burned and he clenched his fists.

"Something must be done."  
"Yes," said Abraham. "And we've already thought of a plan going forward." He crossed his arms. "Problem is, we don't know enough about the perpetrators."  
"But we will find out," Samson added.  
Abraham nodded at Samson before looking back at the president. "Before we take action sir, we wanted to know what it is you feel we should do. We want to know your stand on this situation."

* * *

As the slideshow ended, the president clasped his hands together and closed his eyes in thought. "First and foremost, as much as it pains me to keep them in the dark, we'll have to keep this from reaching the public. The last thing we want is to cause a panic because of an enemy we know nothing about."  
"Yes," Samson agreed. "That would be the best option to go with."  
Abraham nodded. "Imagine the chaos that could potentially ensure."  
"Which is why we must not let them know," said the president. "We'll have to work fast to uncover the identities of these people and put a stop to whatever it is they have planned."  
Abraham and Samson nodded their heads in agreement.  
"That reminds me," the president continued. "You both said that you had a plan?"  
"Indeed we do, sir," Abraham answered.  
"Tell me about it," said the president as he leaned back in his chair to listen.  
Samson cleared his throat before speaking. "We had an idea to send in some agents undercover, to find out their real plan. Or watch from a safe distance. Some of our agents are talented in the ways of disguise and listening skills."  
"Hmm..." the president thought. "That's a good idea that could very well work."  
"Our main problem, like I said, is that we know only what we have before us," said Abraham. "We'll have to do some investigating to find out who they are."  
The president nodded. "And as Samson said, we have many who specialize in areas that would be of great use to us at this time."  
"Yes," said Abraham. "Like Rouge, for example."  
"Right you are Abraham," said the president. "This is something that's right up her alley."  
"I agree," said Samson. "Rouge would be the perfect agent for this."  
"As well as Topaz," Abraham added. "She and Rouge have gone on many espionage missions together."  
A confident look appeared on the president's face.

"It looks like we have an idea of where to start to bring these terrorists to justice."  
Samson nodded and turned to Abraham.

"We should get in touch with Rouge and Topaz and inform them of our intentions for them to undergo this mission."  
"Yes," said Abraham. "The sooner, the better."  
"Excellent idea," the president said before a deep sigh came from him.  
It didn't go unnoticed as Abraham looked at him. "What is it, sir?"  
The president was silent for a couple seconds before responding.

"I know that many of our agents have been granted their vacation time as of now, Rouge and Topaz included. At the end of the day I'm fully aware this is their jobs, but I can't help but worry about the well-being of all the agents. And also, I wonder how Rouge, Topaz, and others would feel if we were to call them in and cut their vacations short."

Samson and Abraham both sympathized with the president as they themselves felt the same way.  
"Our agents are entitled to their rightfully deserved vacations, this is true sir," said Samson. "But this is a serious matter."  
"I'll have to agree," said Abraham. "And, if our meeting earlier today told us anything, its that they are ready to combat this threat."  
"Ah yes, the meeting," said the president. "How did it go?"  
Abraham smiled.

"Everything went well sir. Our agents morale was boosted tremendously after the words Shadow spoke."  
"It was truly inspirational," said Samson as he smiled also, remembering Shadow's speech.  
The president chuckled. "Shadow, eh? Leave it to him to get the troops fired up."  
"Indeed sir," said Abraham. "So that can be one worry you don't have on your mind. Our agents are ready to do whatever must be done to take these terrorists down."  
"That is very true," said Samson. "The Guardians of United Nations will stop at nothing to bring down these terrorists."  
The president nodded as he thought over their plan.

"Okay. With little info we have, we have come up with a plan. As it stands, Rouge and Topaz are our two top agents in espionage and covert operations. Here's what we will so."  
"We're listening sir," said Samson. "We're all ears."  
"We will assign them to watch out over the city for anything suspicious and to find any clue as to who the individuals we seek."  
Abraham and Samson both nodded. "Understood sir."  
"Alright," said the president with a nod. "And I will do my part as well - informing the other world leaders of our predicament. If these terrorists will go so far as to antagonize us, I believe there are no limits to what else they could do."  
"That's a smart decision sir," said Samson.  
Abraham nodded his head in agreement. "Very smart decision."  
"I'm glad you both agree," said the president. "Now then, let's not waste any more time. We have our assignments and know what to do, so let's get to it."  
"Yes sir!" both Abraham and Samson said as they saluted.  
The president saluted back and soon cut communication with them.  
"Well, it looks like Rouge and Topaz will be cutting their vacations short," said Samson as he looked over at Abraham.  
Abraham let out a deep sigh.

"It appears so. But as we all know, everyone's raring to go and ready when it comes to defending not only themselves but also their fellow agents and this organization."  
Samson nodded. "Well then, shall we call them?"  
"Yes," Abraham nodded. "We must make haste. Every second counts. Who knows what those terrorists could be planning as we speak?"  
"Very well," said Samson. "Let's get to it."

**Hmmm wonder how Topaz and Rouge will take to their vacations being cut short?**

**Well, tune in to find out! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Disappointing News**

Rouge opened the door to her suite over Club Rouge. She, Shadow, and Omega had just arrived back after attending the meeting GUN called for and all three of them still had the whole morning's events fresh on their minds.  
As she walked inside, Rouge sighed in content, happy to be back home and she hung her wet coat and umbrella on the nearby hooks next to the door.  
"Finally back," said Shadow as he walked in after her. "We were gone a lot longer than I expected."  
Omega walked in behind Shadow.

"According to my calculations..." it began. "Were it not for the extra stop as well as the weather, we would've returned an hour ago."  
Rouge walked back to the door and closed it after they were all inside.

"I'm just glad to be out of that horrible weather..."  
"Yeah," Shadow agreed as he looked over at one of the windows and narrowed his eyes at the raging storm. "And it looks like Omega's right. It's going to get a lot worse from the looks of it."  
"High winds and hail imminent," the robot said as it turned its head to the window as well.

Rouge let out an exasperated sigh as she went into the living room of the suite, turned on the heater, and sat down on one of the sofas, trying to put her travelling mind at ease and relax after such a long start to the morning.  
Having the same idea, Shadow took off his coat and hung it as well before talking over and joining Rouge on the couch, sighing in content as he leaned back into it.

"Much better." He looked over at Omega and smirked. "You're missing out."  
Omega turned its head to look at the hedgehog.

"Changes to the temperature don't effect nor affect me."

Rouge couldn't help but chuckle.

"We know Omega. You're a robot."

The mention of hot temperature gave her a thought as she turned to Shadow.

"Speaking of which, would you like a hot drink?"

"Sure," said Shadow. "That could be just the thing we both need." Rouge nodded and stood up, stretching out her body as she did so.

"Come on then. I'll have a look in the kitchen and see what I can round up for us."

She looked over at Omega and giggled softly. "I'd offer you something Omega, but you can't drink."  
"Truly a shame, heh," Shadow chuckled as he stood up along with Rouge.  
Rouge agreed, smiling but then she heard a few beeping sounds come from Omega and watched with Shadow as it walked over to look out one of the window.

"Hey Omega, you alright?"  
"Affirmative," the robot answered.  
"Then what're you doing?" Shadow asked.  
Omega's eyes scanned from side to side as it looked out the window.

"Along with keeping track of the weather, also scanning for traces of the individuals we learned about."  
"Ah, I see," Shadow said with a nod.  
Thoughts of the meeting came back to Rouge and she nodded as well.

"Alright. Let us know if anything comes up and we'll be right back." She turned to go to the kitchen before turning back to Omega. "Oh, one more thing. Don't overload yourself, okay? I know you're a robot but you can still get tired."  
"Yeah," Shadow agreed as he looked over at the robot. "Don't push it."  
Omega nodded its head, not taking its focus off the window. "Understood."

Rouge smiled fondly at Omega before motioning with her head for Shadow to follow her.

"Okay Shadow..." she began as they entered her kitchen. "I think we got coffee, different kinds of tea, hot chocolate even." She went to a cupboard, opened it, and pulled out a container of caramel hot chocolate. "I think we have a winner."  
"I'll have whatever it is you're having," said Shadow.

"Okay," Rouge responded with a nod before taking out two mugs and starting to prepare the hot chocolate, giving her back to Shadow.  
"Do you need any help?" he asked.  
Rouge turned her head to him and gave him a smile. "Thanks Shadow, but I've got it."  
Shadow nodded to her before walking over and having a seat at the kitchen table.  
Turning her attention back to the hot chocolate, the smile remained on Rouge's face.

'He's such a gentleman. Always offering to help.'

A few seconds later, a flash of lightning spread across the sky outside followed by a loud crack of thunder.  
"Jeez!" Rouge exclaimed as she jumped slightly. "Man, that was loud! Hope it doesn't cut the power!"

"Yeah," said Shadow. "That's the last thing we need to happen." He looked over and saw Rouge had finished preparing the hot chocolate and walked over to the table, handing him one of the mugs. "Thanks Rouge."  
"You're welcome," the bat answered with a smile as she went to sit opposite of him and started to stir her drink.  
Shadow gave her a smile before he stirred his drink as well and they both started to drink their hot chocolate together.

A few moments later, the home telephone rang.  
"Hmm? Who could that be?" Rouge asked, looking in the direction of the living room where her phone is.  
Shadow shrugged. "Don't know."  
Omega walked into the kitchen.

"Rouge, caller ID says Topaz is calling."  
"Topaz?" Rouge repeated. "I wonder what's up. Thanks Omega." She stood up and walked towards the living room.

"I'll be right back guys."  
"Take your time," Shadow called out before having another sip of his drink. "Topaz, huh? I wonder what's going on."  
Omega shrugged its large shoulders, it itself wondering what Topaz was calling for.

Rouge walked into the living room and had a seat on her sofa once more before picking up her phone and holding it to her ear. "Hello? Topaz?"  
'Rouge! Hey!'  
"Heya Topaz!" Rouge said smiling, happy to hear her friend's voice. "How's it going? Everything okay on your end?" Rouge heard a sigh come from her.  
'To tell you the truth, I wish I could say yes but this isn't exactly a social call.'  
Rouge raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What's going on?"  
'What do you mean "What's going on?" You got a call from HQ too, didn't you?'

Confused, Rouge reached into her cleavage where she had her cell phone and cursed.

'Damn it,' she thought. 'I turned it off so that I could concentrate on driving.'

"No, I didn't. In any case, what's all the fuss about Topaz?"  
'Commanders Abraham and Samson got in touch with me just a second ago and informed me of the plan they came up with concerning those guys they told us about.'  
"A plan of attack?" Rouge repeated. "What did they say?"

Back in the kitchen, Shadow and Omega were listening in on Rouge's side of the conversation.

"A plan of attack, huh?" Shadow said out loud. "It sounds like the commanders are taking action."

Omega nodded its head and continued to listen with Shadow.  
'Well, I thought you may already know, but since you're just now finding out, I'll explain all I know.'  
"By all means Topaz," said Rouge as she leaned back into the sofa. "Fill me in."  
'The commanders have decided to go with an espionage mission to find out what it is we're dealing with, and they want the two of us to do it.'

Rouge's face fell at hearing that. "

They want us to do it?" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. 'So much for a vacation and time at home...'

'Yep.' A sigh came from Topaz on the other end of the phone. 'So much for that cruise I was planning, huh?'  
Rouge couldn't help but sigh as well because she knew how much Topaz was looking forward to her cruise, but now she wasn't able to go through with it. "So, when do the commanders want us to report for the mission?"  
'They want us there tomorrow. They feel today's already been a long and trying one for us all and want us to relax for the rest of the day and come there tomorrow. From what I understand, its just gonna be us two since we're the best spies in the organization.'

"Alright. At least we got the rest of the day off," Rouge said before sighing again. "Alright Topaz, I'll see you at HQ tomorrow morning. Thanks for calling and letting me know everything."  
'No problem at all Rouge. You take care okay? And don't let this get you down. We'll take care of this and put those clowns in their places.'  
"Okay," said Rouge. "Thanks Topaz. You take care too. See you tomorrow."  
'Later girlfriend.' Topaz hung up on her end.

Rouge hung up as well and sighed before tossing her phone on the sofa and walking back into the kitchen, rejoining Shadow and Omega. Shadow looked over at her and some the stressed look on her face as she sat back down at the table.  
"Well, it looks like I got my vacation time cut short..." Rouge said before explaining everything Topaz told her to both Shadow and Omega. After hearing everything from the bat's mouth, Shadow closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and leaned back into his chair, taking into account all he heard.  
"Unexpected turn of events," said Omega.

"Yeah," Rouge nodded. "I was looking forward to some relaxation time and spending time with you guys." She sighed and shrugged. "Oh well, duty calls...At least I get to enjoy tonight."  
"And you report to begin your mission tomorrow?" Omega asked.  
"Yeah," said Rouge before crossing her legs and taking another sip of her drink.  
Shadow, who hadn't moved an inch since Rouge told him and Omega about the phone call, finally spoke. "Well then, if that's the case..."  
Rouge looked over at her friend, a slight look of confusion on her face. "Shadow?"  
Shadow opened his eyes and looked at her. "It looks like I'm going to be going with you." He looked at Omega afterwards. "You want in on this too Omega?"  
"Affirmative," the robot responded, clenching its claws.

A soft smile came to Rouge's face. "That's really thoughtful guys, but the commanders requested me and Topaz only, and I wouldn't want to ruin your time off."  
"You wouldn't be ruining anything Rouge," said Shadow.  
Rouge looked back at the hedgehog. "You sure?"  
"Of course not," Shadow continued. "And besides, the more of us there are, the better our chances of finding out something." He looked back at Omega again. "These guys may not be any of Dr. Eggman's robots, but I'm sure that you'd have just as good a time stopping these guys as you would any of those 'worthless consumer models' as you like to refer to them as."  
Omega clenched its claws tighter in anticipation.

Rouge chuckled at her two friends, her smile growing. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it. I'm sure Topaz would say the same."  
Shadow nodded at her. "You report for the mission tomorrow morning right? We'll come along with you and explain everything to the commanders. I'm sure they'll understand about us joining you two."  
"We'll find out tomorrow," said Rouge, her smile still present on her face. "Thanks again, you guys."  
"You don't have to thank us Rouge," said Shadow. "We're your friends."  
"We'll support you in any way we can," Omega added.  
Rouge smiled at them, thankful for their support and friendship as one last thought came to her mind.  
'Thanks guys. What and where would I be without you two?'

**Poor Rouge and Topaz, having their time off cut short. At least Shadow and Omega have offered to help. :) Such gentlemen! lol!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Note From Rirureddo: **_**There's a good thing and bad thing about being away on a month-long trip - although you get to enjoy yourself and have fun while on said trip, there's always a chance that where you go doesn't have wifi. Which was exactly the case for me, LOL. I've just recently returned home from a month-long trip but there was no internet access where I was. This is why Bloodrayne666 and I haven't done any updating as of late. Sorry about that guys! But I'm home now and if all goes well, the two of us can get back to work on our story together and update at a much quicker rate! Huzzah! Again, so sorry to have kept you all waiting and here's our brand new chapter! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as Bloodrayne666 and I had writing it!**_

**Chapter Six**

**Comfort**

Later that night, Rouge was sitting in her room at her mirror, brushing her hair until she heard a knock at her door. "Come in," she called out.  
The door opened and Shadow poked his head inside.  
Rouge saw his reflection in her mirror.

"Oh, hey Shadow."  
The bat had long since discarded her clothes and had changed into a red silk nightdress, but she wasn't worried about Shadow seeing her dressed as she was.

After finishing her hair, she placed her hairbrush down on on her her dresser and turned her attention to her GUN uniform hanging by the wardrobe.  
"Good evening Rouge," Shadow greeted. "I didn't come at a bad time, did I?"  
"No, you didn't Shadow," she answered. "It's okay."  
"I wanted to check on you and make sure you were alright," Shadow continued. "I know this has been a stressful day for you."  
Rouge sighed a bit as she stroked some of her hair.

"You're very kind Shadow. I'm alright, but ticked off that vacation has been cut short, that's all."  
Shadow nodded a bit as he stepped into her room, closing the door behind him.

"I understand how you feel."  
"Thanks Shadow," Rouge responded, glad that he related to what she was going through. She placed her chin on the palm of her hand and sighed again.

* * *

Walking over to her window, Shadow stood in front of it and looked outside it.

"And Omega had no luck finding anything more about the punks who're responsible for bringing our vacation to an end." He crossed his arms. "But he said he'd stay on it and let us know if anything comes up."  
"Okay..." Rouge said in a disheartened voice. "At least he's still on the case..."

"Yeah," Shadow said before he heard the tone of Rouge's voice and turned to her. "You sure you're alright?"  
Rouge turned her head slightly away from him.

"I'll be fine Shadow..."  
'Hmm, this isn't like her at all,' Shadow thought to himself as he gave his full attention to her. "You know, if there's anything you want to say, you can tell me."  
A small smile appeared on the bat's face as she turned back to Shadow, thankful for his concern. "I know Shadow..."

After giving one last look outside, Shadow went to have a seat on the edge of her bed in front of her. "So, what's on your mind?"  
Rouge sighed once more.

"Well, along with being bored that I have to take time out of my time off, I'm worried about these guys targeting GUN..."  
Shadow nodded knowingly.

"I had a feeling that's what was bothering you."  
Rouge couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips.

"You can read me like a book..."

It was then that Shadow's usual smirk appeared on his face.

"Well, I've had a lot of time to practice after all we've been through together."  
"Yeah, you have," Rouge laughed before she caught sight of the smirk on Shadow's face.'He does look handsome when he smirks...' she thought to herself as a small blush appeared on her own face.

Shadow didn't notice Rouge's blush and continued to speak. "There's a reason I say that Rouge. We've been through pretty much everything you can imagine and we've gotten through them. This'll be no different. We'll find out who the ones are trying to start something with GUN and take care of them."  
"Yeah, we have..." said Rouge as she began to think back to all the things she and Shadow have been through together along with the rest of the Sonic Team. "I do hope we can take those bastards down...and find out whose behind the wheel..."

"We will," Shadow said reassuringly. "That's a promise."  
Rouge smiled softly at Shadow, which the hedgehog returned.

* * *

Suddenly, a roar of thunder is heard outside and Shadow almost instantly glared in the direction of one of Rouge's windows while she jumped from the sound of the thunder.  
"Yeesh, will this storm ever end!?" she asked.  
"Tell me about it," Shadow agreed. "Here's hoping that it'll be gone by tomorrow because its sure not helping matters any."  
"No its not," said Rouge before she went over to her bed and after hopping on it, flopped onto her back on the soft sheets.  
Shadow looked over at her and saw the exasperated look on her face.

"You're real stressed out. Is there anything I can do for you?"  
Rouge smiled over at him.

"Your company is enough Shadow. You do so much around here already."  
"I do what I can," said Shadow. "And I was going to call it a night after checking on you, but if you'd like I can stay a bit longer."  
The smile remained on Rouge's face. "That would be nice..."  
"Alright," Shadow nodded. "I'll stay and keep you company."  
"Thanks Shad," Rouge said, grateful for him staying with her.  
"Don't mention it," said Shadow as he positioned himself so that he was laying next to her, his back propped up against the headboard of her bed.

Rouge grinned over at him and sighed softly, content and loving the feeling of the sheets against her back.  
"You know," Shadow began. "Laying here like this brings back memories."

"Does it...?" Rouge asked, turnng her head over to face him.  
"Yeah," said Shadow as he placed a hand behind his head. "Reminds me of when you brought me here during the Emerl incident."  
Rouge chuckled as she remembered.

"Oh yeah..."  
Shadow was silent for a couple seconds before looking over at Rouge. "I know it was a while back but I apologize again for you having to carry me all the way here."  
"Aww, well I couldn't just leave you out there..." Rouge said before giggling. "And you didn't weigh much..."

Shadow narrowed his eyes and raised one of his eyebrows.

"Hmm, don't know whether I should take that as a compliment or not."  
Rouge chuckled a few more times.

"I'm just kidding..." she said after her laughter subsided. "It was no trouble at all bringing you here..."  
Shadow looked at her a bit longer with the same look on his face before shaking his head, the look being replaced by his usual one.

"I said it before, I'll say it again - thanks Rouge. Thanks for saving me."  
"You're welcome Shadow..." Rouge answered with a smile. "And thank you too, for saving me too..."  
Shadow gently patted her shoulder.

"You're welcome Rouge." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze and felt something. "Hmm, you're real tense."  
Rouge blinked a few times.

"Am I...?"  
Shadow nodded. "It may be because of all the stress you've built up."  
A sigh came from the bat. "Yeah..."

* * *

Thinking of what he could do to help her, a thought came to Shadow.

"Let's see what we can do to fix this." He pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Rouge wondered what it was Shadow had thought of, but something told her she should sit up too. "

...Okay..." taking a deep breath, she sat up as well.  
Seeing that she was a bit nervous and didn't know what he had planned, Shadow gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "This could be just what you need to help you relax easier."  
Rouge moaned softly at the feel of his hand. "Mmm...that feels great...If that's what you have planned, go for it..."

Shadow positioned himself behind her, rubbed his hands together to warm them up, and then placed them on her bare shoulders, proceeding to massage them.  
"Mmm..." Rouge sighed in pure ecstasy. "That feels really nice Shadow..."  
"I'm glad to hear," the hedgehog responded as he gently kneaded her shoulders between his hands. "You starting to feel more relaxed?"  
"Oh yes..." she breathed out. "Thanks Shadow..."  
"No problem at all," he responded.

As Shadow continued to rub her shoulders, Rouge began to relax more and he could tell. "You're starting to feel a lot less tense now."  
"Mmm, that's good..." Rouge moaned. "I'm starting to feel it..."  
Shadow kept going until he felt her shoulders completely relax.  
"Mmm...Thanks Shadow..." Rouge said softly, her voice a lot more content and a cheeky smile appearing on her face. "You're good with your hands..."  
Shadow chuckled at the compliment. "You're welcome Rouge. I'm glad I was able to help you."  
"You did..." said Rouge as she placed one of her hands over his, her smile becoming a bit softer.

At the same time, both Shadow and Rouge fellt their hearts skip a beat at the touch of each others' hands on their own.

A couple seconds passed before Shadow was able to find his voice, but not before clearing his throat and regaining his composure. "So um, are you feeling better now?"  
Rouge nodded and smiled again, her previous blush coming back to her face. "I'm fine now...I'll sleep alright tonight..."  
Shadow nodded his head. "Speaking of which, we all have an early start tomorrow so shall we call it a night now?"  
"Sounds like a good idea..." said Rouge before she smiled and the blush stayed on her face. "Shame really, I was enjoying my time with you jut now..."  
Shadow smirked softly. "I have to admit, this was a very enjoyable night. It's been a long and hard day for us all, especially you. I'm glad I was able to ease your mind and ensure you get a good night's sleep."  
"I might ask you to do it more..." Rouge said, winking. "You're very good at it..."  
"Heh, thinking of making it a habit huh?" Shadow asked.

Rouge said nothing but instead chuckled, which was all the answer Shadow needed.  
"We'll see," he added. "And on that note, let's get you into bed shall we?"  
"Sure, okay..." said Rouge as she crawled over the duvet and cllimbs underneath.  
Shadow stood up off the bed and made his way over to her side of it and watched as she got under the sheets.

Once she was under the covers, Rouge smiled at Shadow. "Thanks for being there for me Shadow..."  
"Anytime Rouge," he answered.  
Rouge gave him another smile before laying her head on her pillow. Shadow assisted her by tucking her in.  
"Mmm, thanks Shadow," she said, feeling completely comfortable. "What would I do without you?"  
Shadow grinned down at her.

"That's a question that you never have to worry about the answer to."  
His response made the bat's smile grow bigger.  
"Tomorrow's a big day for us," Shadow continued. "Try to get some sleep alright?"  
Rouge nodded and closed her eyes. "I will..."  
Shadow made sure she was as comfortable as possible before turning and heading for her door. "Goodnight Rouge."  
"Night Shadow..." she said to his retreating form. "Make sure Omega gets some rest too..."  
"Will do," the hedgehog answered as he opened the door, took one last look back at her, and then left.  
Rouge smiled and snuggled more into her pillow.

* * *

After leaving Rouge's room and closing the door, Shadow remembered the feeling that had come over him after Rouge placed her hand over his. After placing his hand over his heart and feeling how quickly it was beating, he took a deep breath before lowering his hand back down and making his way back downstairs.  
Back in her room, Rouge was having similar thoughts. She placed her hand over her own heart and the last thought she had before sleep overtook her was the image of Shadow's warm rare smile.

**Awww, some tender moments there! Hope it was worth waiting for!**

**Again, sorry about the late upload! Hope to have another chapter up sooner!**

**Bloodrayne666 and ****Rirureddo**


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